Static Pile Open Composting System.
Gather separate piles of green and brown garden waste, eg; grass clippings, leaves, wood chip.
Measure the available space to form your compost area.
1M Wide X 1.2 M High X 3 M Long is ideal, but the length can vary.
Combine a 50/50 mix of green and brown matter along the base and layer up to 1.2 M High.
Turn the pile once you have reached the desired/available length making sure that it is not longer than 4 months after starting the pile. Cover the top to keep excess water off.
You can turn it again after 4 months if it has not fully composted.
Meanwhile, starting a new pile and doing the same.
You will have beautiful organic compost for your pots and beds next year!
Did you know that dumping your lawn cuttings and general garden waste in the corner of your garden creates methane gas which is detrimental to the environment.
Gardening for Biodiversity – Making Garden Compost – Noreen Ramsay
As soon as the weather gets a bit warmer everything will be growing again and we will be out in the garden cutting, strimming, weeding and producing heaps of garden waste.
But it doesn’t have to be waste. With a little organisation and effort it can be transformed into lovely soil enriching compost.
Lots of people who have had a go at making garden compost get discouraged when the results are either a slimy mess or a brittle heap of sticks. People also worry that a compost heap will attract vermin. This can be avoided by never composting cooked food or too much fruit.
The trick to making lovely compost from garden waste is to remember the formula.
Like a science experiment or a cooking recipe – get the ingredients right and it will work.
50% Greens (nitrogen ) + 50% Browns (carbon ) + Water + Oxygen = Compost
Greens
Grass cuttings, weeds, young hedge clippings and soft prunings, old plants, old flowers, vegetable scraps or peelings.
Warning: Too thick a layer of grass can make a slimy pile. Make a separate grass heap, let it dry out a bit then add it a bit at a time to the compost heap.
Browns
Leaves, well rotted manure, thin woody prunings, cardboard, egg boxes, empty loo rolls, shredded paper, contents of the vacuum cleaner, wood or paper cat litter ( with poo removed ), ash from a wood fire, soil, tea leaves, coffee grounds, straw.
Leaves can be gathered in Autumn into a pile or plastic bags near the compost heap. They can be added through the year or kept to make leaf mould, another soil enhancer.
Resist adding thicker woody branches as these take a much longer time to break down. Either shred them before adding or make a dry branch pile which will break down very slowly. This creates a great habitat as a bug hotel.
Water
The compost heap needs to be moist to work. Too much greens and it becomes too wet, too much browns and it dries out. By balancing and mixing these materials it can be kept moist.
If the heap is too small it will also dry out. Aim for a compost heap of at least a metre square. Place the compost heap in a sheltered place but not in too much shade.
Oxygen
It is possible to leave a heap of mixed materials covered for months and it will slowly turn into compost. This is a cold or anaerobic compost heap and requires the least work.
If oxygen is added an aerobic process starts and the compost heats up and transforms more quickly. You add the oxygen by turning the heap after a few weeks.
Making the Compost heap
Compost can be made in a large open heap or stored in a container. These can be commercial plastic compost bins or be constructed from wooden pallets. Place it on soil to allow drainage.
Add alternate layers of greens and browns or mix them together. Avoid thick layers of one material like grass cuttings or newspaper. Shred or cut up larger materials before adding.
Cover with cardboard or old carpet. Build up to about a metre high or until the container is full.
After 3 or 4 weeks turn it to add oxygen. Take it all out of its container, remix it and then replace it or move it on into an adjoining container. After being turned two or three times it will be composted and ready for use. It is slower when the temperature is colder and faster in hot Summer weather. It can be handy to have two or three adjoining heaps or containers as the maturing compost can be turned into another container to finish off, while the emptied container can be used to start a fresh heap.
Never compost in a garden compost heap
Cooked food, meat ,fish, bones, ash from a coal fire, blighted potatoes or tomatoes, dog or cat excrement, glossy magazines. Compostable coffee cups need to go to an industrial composter so put them into the brown bin.
